Invisibility, leprechauns and national pride tied to wearing green – Part of what makes celebrating St. Patrick’s Day so enjoyable is the scores of traditions surrounding the holiday. The month of March ushers in parades, festive foods, lively music, and as much green attire as a person can handle.

Invisibility, leprechauns and national pride tied to wearing green

As ubiquitous as it is each March, green attire has not always been symbolic of St. Patrick’s Day or Ireland. In fact, earlier depictions of St. Patrick had him royally clothed in a rich shade of blue. Some ancient Irish flags even sported the color blue. According to National Geographic, the color green became associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the 18th century, when the shamrock became a national symbol of Ireland. The color of the shamrock and Ireland’s natural landscape forever linked green to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and the Emerald Isle.

There are reasons for donning green clothing on St. Patrick’s Day. If a person isn’t in green, he or she just may get pinched. According to Irish folklore, leprechauns wore green, and if anyone else wore the color that individual would be invisible to leprechauns. Leprechauns are ornery sorts who like to pinch anyone they can see. Therefore, by wearing green clothing, a person is sure to avoid a painful tweak. It’s not only the leprechauns who might do the pinching. Celebrants are inclined to pinch people who don’t wear green as a reminder that leprechauns might sneak up on them at any time.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, individuals in the United States started wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the early 1700s. They believed it “made one invisible to leprechauns.” The official color for the holiday used to be a sky blue known as “St. Patrick’s Day Blue,” established during the reign of King George III.

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Beyond shamrocks and leprechauns, other people are inclined to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day as a symbol of good luck and to honor their Irish ancestry. According to Brian Witt, the cultural exhibits coordinator for Milwaukee Irish fest, Irish Americans would wear green as a reminder that they are nationalists first and foremost. The Irish flag colors are green, white and orange. The green symbolizes Irish nationalism, the orange represents the “Orangemen” of Northern Ireland, which is an Irish Protestant political society, and the white symbolizes peace.

Green is an integral color during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and it is tied to many different traditions.

St. Patrick’s Day Blog Posts

1. All Things Green
2. All Things Orange
3. A-Z of St. Patrick’s Day
4. Celtic Cross
5. Don’t mistake a shamrock for any old clover
6. Harp
7. Irish Flag
8. Meaning behind popular St. Patrick’s Day symbols
9. Meaning behind the shamrock
10. Millions of People Claim Irish ancestry
11. Origins of the leprechaun myth
12. Prayer of St. Patrick
13. Rainbows
14. St. Patrick’s Day
15. Top 5 Countries with Irish populations
16. Unique, mysterious and lesser-known facts about Ireland
17. Why does the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Article Compliments of MetroCreative. TF213770 & TF213769

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